Trump Calls for Investigation Into All Afghan Refugees as He Implements Major Immigration Change After D.C. Shooting

President Donald Trump released a video message after a frightening incident in Washington, D.C., where an Afghan man shot two National Guard soldiers. The shooting immediately triggered a major change in U.S. immigration policy. The Trump administration announced that all immigration requests involving Afghan nationals are now paused indefinitely while officials conduct a deeper security review.

The suspect has been identified as Rahmaullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who came to the United States in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome. This was a program launched during Joe Biden’s presidency to evacuate tens of thousands of Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Many of those Afghans had worked with American troops, diplomats, and aid workers. According to reports, Lakanwal had served in the Afghan army for ten years and had worked closely with U.S. soldiers before the Taliban took over the country.

CNN reported that he applied for asylum in the United States in 2024, and the Trump administration approved that request in April 2025. Now, after the shooting, officials are under intense pressure to explain how he was vetted and why he was allowed to stay in the country.

The Department of Homeland Security released a statement saying they would not mention the suspect’s name, insisting that he should not be given the attention he sought. Despite that, law enforcement confirmed his identity publicly. The statement also announced that security checks and vetting procedures for Afghan applicants would be re-examined from the ground up.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services posted on social media that all immigration cases tied to Afghan nationals were being halted immediately. They stressed that the government’s top priority was the safety of the American people.

In his video message, President Trump expressed anger and frustration. He said the United States would no longer accept attacks on law enforcement from “people who shouldn’t even be in our country.” He also demanded a full investigation into all Afghan refugees who came in under the Biden administration. He said that every individual from Afghanistan who entered the country during that time must be reviewed again, and anyone who “does not belong here or does not add value to the country” should be removed.

Trump said the attack was “a crime against our entire nation,” adding that America would not bow down to fear. He repeated that people who do not love the country should not be allowed to stay in it.

The shooting brought renewed focus to the rushed evacuation of Afghans in 2021. Reports suggested that nearly 76,000 Afghans arrived in the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome, and not all received full background checks. Critics have argued for years that the vetting process was too fast and too incomplete. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem said that the suspect was “one of the many unvetted individuals” brought into the country under the Biden administration’s emergency program.

The FBI is now looking into the motive behind the attack. According to early reports, the suspect approached the National Guard soldiers from around a corner and opened fire just a few blocks from the White House. Both soldiers were taken to the hospital in critical condition.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the investigation is ongoing, and they are gathering information to determine whether the shooting was random, targeted, or connected to something larger.

The incident has reopened national arguments about immigration, vetting refugees, and how the U.S. should respond to violent crimes committed by non-citizens. It has also led to new political pressure on the Biden-era Afghan resettlement program, which many Republicans have criticized since its launch.

As the investigation continues, the country waits for updates on the condition of the wounded soldiers and whether the suspect had any known ties, motives, or warning signs before the attack.